Star Fox Guard ReviewReview

Guardians of the Galaxy?

OVERVIEW
Released alongside the long-awaited Star Fox Zero, Star Fox Guard is a complementary budget eShop game set in the same interstellar anthropomorphic universe, but with a strategic twist.

STORYLINE
Playing as yourself, you are hired by one Grippy Toad, who is the warty founder of Corneria Precious Metals Ltd., and the uncle to Star Fox member Slippy Toad.Since the breakout of the conflict between the Lylat System and Andross' forces, materials for the war have become increasingly rare, and as such, Grippy has decided to partake in a bit of good old fashioned war profiteering. Uh... yay?Unfortunately, enemy robots have seen it fit to invade the mining operation, and as a new employee, you're tasked with zapping them o kingdom come!

GAMEPLAY
Much like Star Fox Zero, Star Fox Guard adopts a unique play style that fully takes advantage of the Wii U.A brain-bending experience that combines both tower defence and shooting, this is perhaps one of the most stressful and scary games Nintendo has ever released... and I mean that in a good way. Each of the 100 levels takes place in a brightly coloured mini fort, and you are in charge of 12 security cameras that can be placed anywhere on the GamePad's map. The footage of each of these feeds are visible on the TV, and you need to tap one of the camera icons in order to display the 'active' image, where you will be able to blast any incoming bots. These bots, you see, are hell-bent on reaching the core of each base, and will not hesitate to come at you from every angle possible.This is what forms the base of the game, as each level gets more and more intense with its enemy waves. New types of bots are introduced regularly that posses new abilities, like front-facing shields, camera-tampering, and blinding smoke exhalation. In each of the five main planets, you'll also face a boss that provides a twist on the established formula, and these are wonderfully designed.You too will also get the opportunity to upgrade your arsenal. As you level up (done by collecting points during levels), you'll get access to new toys that really help to embrace the score-chasing nature of the game. Powerful lasers, lock-on missiles, automated drones... these make Star Fox Guard a genuine blast to replay over and over.On top of this, you can create your own levels and share them online. In a nice touch, you can even customise your 'brand', with stickers and colours that adorn both your ID and your actual bots as they terrorise others online. Truthfully, I was quite amazed at just how comprehensive this game really was, and how fun it was to play. You can even scan a Fox and Falco Amiibo for an air strike that basically beats a level for you. They can only be used once every day, though.

GRAPHICS
Due to the small screens present, Star Fox Guard is basically required to be simple in detail and aesthetically clean. Fortunately, this is perfect for the game's universe. Colours are bright, characters are cute, and everything runs super smooth. Super nice.

AUDIO
Audio is nothing to write home about. It's all very similar to Zero, with zappy laser sounds and amusingly cheesy voice acting. Grippy is a highlight.

VERDICT
I was very pleasantly surprised with Star Fox Zero. I was expecting a simple throwaway game, but what I got instead was a deep, incredibly polished experience that had me addicted until the end. I highly recommend giving this a go!